p. Ann Shuchat, CDC's chief deputy director, said she would characterize it as a breakthrough in the agency's investigation, though more tests are needed.

"These new findings are significant," Shuka said during a news conference Friday. "We have a strong culprit.

There is still a lot of work to be done and the CDC has stated that it continues to test for a wide range of chemicals.

" This does not exclude other possible ingredients, "said Shuchat," There may be more than one cause. "

The CDC says that its tests found vitamin E acetate in samples taken from 29 patients who were ill with vaping disease in 10 conditions. THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, the main psychoactive component of the cannabis plant or its metabolites were detected in 23 of 28 patients were found in 1

6 of 26 patient specimens.

During the press, British Dr. James Pirkle of the CDC described vitamin E acetate as "extremely sticky" when it enters the lungs and "hangs around." it is unusual for THC to be absent from some of the samples because it leaves the lungs faster, adding that the detection of THC in 82% of samples from 28 patients was "remarkable."

In September, New York Health officials linked the cases of severe pulmonary disease with vitamin E acetate in cannabis containing vaping product you. At the time, investigators said it was a "key focus" of the state's disease investigation.

By the time the investigation is completed, the CDC suggests that people refrain from using all THC vaping products, regardless of where people buy them. The investigation found that many of the patients used were patients purchased online or obtained through friends or family rather than through vaping shops or licensed THC dispensaries.

Vitamin E is used in several products, such as lotions and supplements, etc. but the CDC said there was a "big difference" in putting Vitamin E on the skin or ingesting it into a pill and inhaling the oily vitamin.

Dr. Jennifer Leiden, chief medical officer and state epidemiologist at the Illinois Department of Public Health, said in a briefing in Britain that most of the cases of sick people using THC were discovered in her state and that their materials came from "informal sources. "In Illinois, she said, there were no cases involving the state's medical marijuana program.

There have been 2,051 reported cases of vaping-related diseases reported in every state except Alaska as of November 5. Countries have reported at least 40 deaths.

Explanation: This story and title has been updated to reflect that Vitamin E acetate, which is sometimes used as a thickening agent in THC vaccine products, is associated with vaping-related lung damage .